Monday, April 29, 2013

Webster's bookstore and cafe manages to be both calm and full of life. You can find refuge behind walls of used books or enjoy the brisk business at its small cafe and sandwich corner. There, at an open space with many tables and chairs, I gave a talk about my 10 years of tea study and enjoyment.

I started by showing everybody an open tea leaf. In this coffee (and tea bag) place, I wanted to show what real and natural tea looks like. I tried to talk with passion about what is much more than a beverage, an art of life, a way to express my feelings in a creative and delicious way.

I found it was a wonderful idea to show to non brewers what tea can be about. Tea can be very personal and it's not always easy to share this passion with others. Best is to find, or to be found by, people who already start to grow some interest about tea. Then sharing and transmitting ones knowledge can be a real bliss. Luckily for us, we found many such persons at this event!

After my speech and tea brewing, harmonica and guitar player Richard Sleigh came on stage to prepare for the next event. I had seen him 2 nights ago at Elk Creek in Millheim, a tiny town in an Amish county in the middle of Pennsylvania. He's a local artist who knows the classic rock music and who has absolutely mastered the harmonica.

So, I shared some of my 2006 raw wild Lincang puerh with him. I brewed it very strong and it had lots of energy. He may be used to much stronger drinks in the evenings, but for the early afternoon, this tea should have helped him get in an electric mood.

I came up to him and he quickly agreed to try the hot tea. He paused for a moment. "It's good!", he said with a smile. I explained more about the tea and then he said: "I want to buy some." So we made a trade: I gave him the piece of this tea I had with me (and brewing instructions), and he played a Bob Dylan song for me, under the influence of this excellent puerh!

A good tea often feels like great music. I wish I could have met Oded Tzur during this trip. He's also a musician and tea friend. He sent me this Youtube music: The Song of the Silent Dragon while I was in Penn State. I'm very thankful to have put me in his thoughts and hope to see and listen to him one day.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Brewing tea is central to any class about tea. On the second day of the Puerh exhibition event at Penn State, a whole class was dedicated to brewing methods for puerh. Teaparker distinguised between young sheng, young shu and old puerh. Each requires some adjustments to be brewed well.

But the general tea brewing rules apply to these teas as well:
1. Use a porcelain gaiwan in order to obtain a neutral taste.
2. Preheat the gaiwan and cups.
3. A layer of leaves on the bottom of the cup is enough, because tea needs space to open up, expand in the gaiwan.
4. Pour good water that has just boiled.
5. And brew as long as you like.

It sounds easy and it's something everybody can learn quickly. But each step also contains much skill that takes a lot of practice to master.

Holding and handling a gaiwan properly may seem like a detail, but it's actually a fundamental skill when brewing tea. If you are not comfortable holding it, then you'll probably be anxious, nervous at the tea table and this may reduce your pleasure (and the quality of the tea you brew).

So, Teaparker asked every student to practice pouring from one gaiwan into another. First we used cold water, then boiling water. The goal was to pour comfortably without letting water splash or dribble on the table cloth.

The more often you practice this exercise, the better you'll become. You'll realize that the best place to hold the gaiwan with your fingers is the rim of the gaiwan's mouth. Also, you need to first move the lid in order to create an opening for the water to flow.

This pouring skill can have a direct impact on the temperature of the tea: once you know how to pour well and precisely, you won't need any cha hai (pitcher) anymore. You can pour directly from the gaiwan in the cups. This isn't just more elegant and skillful, but this also results in a warmer tea.

There might still be a tea drop here or there, if you have 10 years of practice. If these drops happen on a hard surface, this may end up looking messy. But if you use an absorbing tea cloth (Cha Bu) under your teaware, then these few drops are absorbed by the fabric and won't bother your peace of mind. Because the mind is another important prerequisite to a successful cup. And how can a student be relaxed during his finals? When he's confident that he has studied thoroughly and practiced the moves until he knows them by heart.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Last week, Teaparker and I returned to Penn State for the Pu'er Tea exhibition organized by the Tea Institute. Most events, tea classes, happened at the Ritenour building where the institute is located.

Ritenour building

The subjects were puerh historical cakes, the best suitable brewing methods, suitable wares, puerh quality: blending or single mountain...

Each class consisted of a theoretical part and then practical exercises. We set up several Cha Xi every day, brewed tea in turns. We let everybody express what they felt with each cup of tea.

At the end of our last class, each Tea Institute member gave us some feedback concerning the classes. They were pleased with the wealth of information they learned, and were glad to taste some great puerhs. The combination of the 2, clear knowledge and high quality teas has created a new level of understanding.

For instance, Murph said that before this week, he didn't believe that you could taste somebody's state of mind through the tea that he brews. "But now I believe! Yesterday, I could taste my nervousness in my tea cup."

Tea can seem magical at times. But with the right study and focus, we can all understand tea. And the more we respect tea and pay attention to our brewing, the better our tea becomes. This creates a positive feedback that leads to more study...

Sunday, April 07, 2013

Drinking tea is taking a break from work, stress and cold feelings. What better place to do that than on a sunny beach between swins?! The winter seems like a distant memory already.

My winter High Mountain Oolong from Alishan gives me its fresh and fine energy. It also quenches my thirst in a much more relaxed and comfortable way than a cold beverage would. This paradox is particularly striking here on the beach.

I also find joy in my 'dancing fishes' Cha Xi. It gives me a preview of what I'm about to see between the corals!

Next week, I will take another spring break. This time, I'm heading to the USA and Penn State's Tea Institute!